


The Summer Dawn

by Felilla



Series: The Darkening Seas [1]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types, Original Work, Pathfinder (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Dark Fantasy, Drama, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Dwarf Culture & Customs, Dwarves, Elf Culture & Customs, Elves, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Epic Friendship, Found Family, Gen, Half-Elves, Half-orc, High Fantasy, Hurt/Comfort, Kobolds, Multi, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Pathfinder - Freeform, Unique Family Dynamics, Worldbuilding, firbolg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:33:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24065134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Felilla/pseuds/Felilla
Summary: When Arliss flees the only home she's ever known, the last thing she expects is to join an eclectic group of adventurers. But here she is and it seems she isn't the only one with something to hide.Summer Dawn is just another group of adventurers is a world overfilled with them.Or so they believe.(a fantasy story lightly based off of DnD 5e and Pathfinder dynamics)
Series: The Darkening Seas [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1736167
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. The World Map

**Author's Note:**

> When Arliss flees the only home she's ever known, the last thing she expects is to join an eclectic group of adventurers. But here she is and it seems she isn't the only one with something to hide.
> 
> Kenley Auburn is a leader by nature and a wizard by practice. Her charisma and thirst for knowledge have gotten her far in life. Though it seems that maybe something else has as well.
> 
> Godric Auburn is determined to make something of himself and his inventions. He may be locked in his sister's shadow, but he has no doubt in his own abilities... Right?
> 
> Riyad Eissal has done many things that he's not proud of. He came to Summer Dawn with a guilty conscience and a need to do good. In return, he found a family, love, and adventure. But the past never stays buried, no matter how much you wish it would.
> 
> Olpi was alone for so very long. Then, all at once, she wasn't. Summer Dawn might not have been what she was looking for, but they are what she needed. And, for better or worse, she'll do anything to keep them safe.
> 
> Antimony Yul is a monk no longer welcome in her temple but still favored by her god. She is used to looking over her shoulder and terrified of what she might one day find behind her.
> 
> Morning Bahkdottir is a half-orc by blood and gentle heart by nature. She is determined to find her father, the only person alive that may have the answers she needs.
> 
> Winafred Corwan awoke in the woods, fully grown and conscious with only one thought in her mind: "find Summer Dawn". She found them and grew to care for them, but she is entirely unsure of what happens next and why she needed to find them at all.
> 
> Eldar Greydove originally left their guild to play music for the masses and be loved and admired by all. But their god had a different plan when they placed Summer Dawn in front of them.
> 
> Summer Dawn is just another group of adventurers is a world overfilled with them.
> 
> Or so they believe.
> 
> (a fantasy story lightly based off of DnD 5e and Pathfinder dynamics)

__

_They called it the Day of Darkening, the day half the world fell into the sea, consumed by dark waters. Waters that, from that day on, would always look as though a storm was set upon it. Many, many lives were lost that day, some four thousand years ago._

_Many saw it as a divine punishment from the gods of their choosing. Others saw it as senseless tragedy. No one understood it. And from the tragedy awoke a small era of peace. An era known as the Era of the Remained._

_Since then, the Darkened Seas, the Dark Sea and the World’s End Sea, though still roiling and impassable, have never grown. They’ve never taken more._

_Civilization has moved on, grown and changed and evolved. Kingdoms and empires have fallen, new gods have built their religious pedestals. The Era of the Remained has long since ended and wars rage across the two continents. Monsters of old wake and claim the lands, plagues sweep through cities and towns, prejudices and misconceptions reign on high._

_And the Darkened Seas still rage._

**The Western Continent** consists of about fourteen countries. The major religion on the Western Continent is the Word of Lepuita. The Western Continent is known for its diversity, both in people and terrain. It is also, however, the continent more acquainted with war. The Bomian Empire, Pisek, and Blumer are the worse perpetrators in this aspect.

**The Eastern Continent** consists of about twelve countries. The major religion on the Eastern Continent is the Word of Zazeyaran. The Eastern Continent is known for the Ybunor Glacier, a large glacier that appeared when the East and West seas darkened and became impassable.


	2. Prologue

The tide comes in and it goes back out. A sweet susurrate of sound that will never end. It can grow louder. It can grow quieter. But the rush of the waves will never cease.

They stand, on the edge, the jagged stone of the ruined staircase digging into the soft flesh of their feet. When the water rushes over their skin, it stings, fresh and painful, over the cuts that mar their legs and ankles. It hurts. It burns. But they do not move.

Beyond them, the water is dark. Black and murky and tumultuous, like hills of ink blotting out the world around it. Foam crests with each wave, little specks of white amongst the endless dark, but it is pulled beneath by the crushing shadow. The sea is breathing. Charred lungs and poisoned air. It has lost its fight with the dark.

As all will.

They think, perhaps, they remember a storm. A storm from when they had been small and unknowledgeable about the ways of the world. One that darkened the sea as it is now. But then lightning had cracked in the sky and thunder and shook the ground. Clouds had filled the air, angry and gray. And the storm had passed.

The sky is dark now, just as dark as the sea. There are no clouds. No lightning. No thunder.

It is not a storm that kills the light, not this time, and this will not pass.

When there was a storm, they sat within their home. Bundled under blankets to protect them from the chill. Their mother, or maybe their father, had read them stories. It kept them calm. Kept them quiet. And before they laid down to sleep, whispers of prayer had been passed between them. Prayers to a god they could not remember.

Now, they just watch. With the hundreds of other people lining the beaches, the stairs,and the ruins of their world, they watched the darkened sea.

And they can not leave.

Because now they have no home to hide in.

And no god to pray to.


	3. Arliss Isidora

It was colder in Molia. That was the first thing Arliss noticed as she burrowed deeper into her furs. It was only midautumn, but the ocean seemed to bring with it a sharp, biting chill that seeped into Arliss’s skin. It didn’t pass her notice that she seemed to be the only one bundled up among the others on the streets.

What was the weather like in Asasa at that moment? Likely very warm and mildly humid, the waters of the Middle Sea nice enough to dip into. The orchards would be ready for harvest, if they were not already harvested. Arliss longed for a sweet clementine right about then, but she doubted she would find one among the many stalls that lined the Shivos harbor. She hadn’t seen much of any trade from Asasa or even many Asasans like herself., a fact that she was grateful for. Even if the chances of someone recognizing her were immensely unlikely, she would rather avoid the possibility.

She turned to the captain of the ship she’d just disembarked. He was a shorter man and stout, nothing like what she expected a smuggler to look like. Over the years, she always imagined them as rugged, handsome men.

She didn’t tell Captain Ponde about these assumptions. Instead, she just passed over the two hundred gold she promised and thanked him. He waved it off, “Money’s money, girl. Maybe keep your hood up if you don’t want anyone on the docks looking at you sideways. Asasans usually come to the nicer ports.”

She nodded and took his advice, pulling the hood of her gifted coat over her head.

As the sun began to set over the Middle Sea, Arliss looked for a small tavern to duck into. She passed many that were large and ostentatious, already filled to brimming despite the early hour of the night. More than a few had men and women dressed in bright oranges and reds and pinks lounging outside the doors, bells adorned to their sheer clothing. Each time Arliss made the briefest eye contact with them, she flushed. She was not used to the open promiscuity of the Western Continent.

She was certainly not used to the tolerance. Though she loved her religion, the Word of Zazeyaran was not known to be an open-minded religion. It was undoubtedly its greatest flaw and the biggest aspect of it she chose to ignore.

The sun was nearly gone by the time Arliss found herself deep into the city. Families and people uninterested in night revelries began to shut themselves into their homes. Dock workers shouldered past Arliss, smelling of sea water and fish. It reminded Arliss of home whereas everything else reminded her of how far she was from it.

In Inejazer, the streets were clean and lined with cobblestone. The buildings were painted vibrant colors and the people wore just as bright clothes, though most of them were shades of blues and purples. Kites soared through the sky and near every family had at least a meager garden just outside their residence.

Here, in the harbor city of Shivos, the buildings were wooden and the streets were some kind of dark flat stone, covered in dirt and grime. There were no gardens, no kites in the air, no vibrancy of color in the fabrics. It felt lackluster and simple. And crowded.

Arliss knew that she would have to get used to it. That she would have to eventually stop referring to Asasa as home. That she would have to grow used to the idea of maybe never having a home again.

Eventually, Arliss stumbled upon a small tavern. There were only two men mulling around outside, appearing to be smoking cigars, and no courtesans. A light tune played from inside amongst the clatter of the silverware and drinks. Arliss’s eyes darted up to the sign.  _ The Mariner’s Lamppost _ .

She pulled open the door, surprised to find it no more noisy inside than it had been outside. The dining area was small, but not cramped, and a woodstove sat in the corner of the room. A man and a woman sat near it, heads bent together as they spoke in low tones.

The music came from a single lute player, strumming along almost absently as they recounted some tale or hymnal. Most of the patrons, which only amounted to about four people, were gathered around the bar. They chatted with each other and the barkeep.

Arliss made her way to the front counter. She was mildly startled to see a small gnomish woman behind the counter. Gnomes were rare in the Eastern Continent and even rarer in Asasa. The woman looked up. Her face was soft, her features rounded. A gentle smile settled on her face that seemed to reach her dark green eyes. She set her quill down. “Good evening to ya, lassie,” she said, her voice laced with an accent Arliss knew wasn’t native to Molia.

“Good evening,” Arliss responded, her voice just loud enough to be heard over the din of the patrons. She didn’t need to draw attention to herself.

“And what can I do ya for? A hot meal? A drink?”

“A room?” Arliss questioned hopefully. “And a meal. And a drink.”

The woman’s smile brightened even more. She reached for her quill again. “Well ‘en, yer in luck. I’ve got many an empty room this evening. Single bed?”

Arliss nodded, her gaze darting to the laughing bar goers. She shifted back to the gnomish woman as she spoke again. “Name, lassie?”

“Arliss,” Arliss responded without thinking. She panicked, briefly, wondering if she should’ve used a different name like she did on the ship. But the gnome seemed unbothered and Arliss remembered that her name was not as uncommon in the West as it was back home. “Arliss Isidora.”

“Well, Miss Arliss,” the gnomish woman finished scribbling down her name. “You can call me Thomasi. If ya need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. Now, that’ll be two silvers for tonight.”

Arliss bit her lip. “Do you have change for gold?”

Thomasi bobbed her head and reached for a key around her neck. Arliss reached into the inner pocket of her furred coat. She’d spent enough time on the streets of Inejazer to know how to avoid pickpockets. She removed a single gold piece and set it on the counter. Thomasi swiped it up with ease, replacing it with four silver pieces and a little brass key. Arliss tucked the coins away, but kept hold of the key.

“Yer room will be up those stairs over there,” Thomasi pointed. “Fourth door on the right. Watercloset’s the last door at the end. Please limit yerself to fifteen minutes in there. We’ll be serving dinner in about… Thirty minutes if ya wanna settle in or grab a drink.”

Arliss clutched the key a little bit tighter. She gave Thomasi a nod. “Thank you.”

Thomasi chuckled. “Course. Course. Thanks for ya business, hun.”

Taking that as her cue to leave, Arliss made her way towards the staircase. She entered the room given to her, closing the door and locking it behind her. With a small shaking exhale, Arliss pressed her back to the door and slid to the ground.

This was the first time she’d been alone since leaving Asasa. And it would likely be the last in a long time if she managed to join a group heading to Soultebar. 

Arliss sighed again, pulling her long braid over her shoulder as she stood. A mirror sat atop the small dresser in the corner, a washbasin sitting in front of it. She hardly recognized her appearance. All of the plumpness of her cheeks was gone, replaced with a gauntness that came with travel and lack of appetite. 

Slowly, she unravelled her plait. Her snow white hair fell down to her thighs now, where it had only touched the middle of her back before. The healthy sheen of it was muddled and gone. Her dark brown skin was a bit paler, her freckles fading. Even her blue eyes seemed to have lost their luster.

A humorless laugh bubbled on her lips. Beauty of Inejazer indeed.

Arliss’s joints ached as she shed her fur coat, revealing the blue dress beneath. The fur coat was simple enough, given to her by one of the other passengers on the ship. But the dress. The dress was fine, made of thicksilk, an expensive material only produced in Asasa, and embroidered with white threads along the neckline and hems. It was unlikely that anyone in a city like Shivos would recognize the symbols as the garb of the ruling family of Asasa.

Even so, she removed it, revealing the once-white blouse and dark blue leggings beneath.

Her fingers lingered along the twin leather cords partially hidden beneath the clothing. She shook her head.

After folding up her clothing and tucking away her bag, she left to take a quick bath. She couldn’t change how she felt, but she could, at least, clean off the grime on her body.

* * *

Arliss felt a bit more human after a bath. Only a bit. Her clean skin felt wrong against her still dirty clothes, but she shoved that feeling away. It was another thing she would have to get used to. She rebraided her hair as she reentered the dining room. A bit of the edge lifted from her shoulders when no one glanced her way. There were a few more people in the room, but it was still relatively quiet.

She sat down at one of the empty tables and a human barmaid swept over. Her hair was a mass of vibrant red curls and freckles dotted her pale, flushed cheeks. Arliss couldn’t recall seeing her earlier, especially since she seemed to be a person that would be hard to miss.

“Good evening, Miss,” the barmaid said. “And what can I get you? A drink? We’re having mackerel stew for dinner, ain’t half bad if I do say so myself and I ain’t just saying that cuz my husband made it.”

Was everyone in Shivos so infectiously cheerful. Arliss gave the barmaid a small smile. “Some stew please. And a glass of water?”

The barmaid grinned. “Want some bread?”

“Um,” Arliss gave a small nod.

“Stupendous,” the barmaid moved away with a hop in her step.

Alone once again, Arliss turned her gaze to the patrons. Most of them glanced back and forth from the door and they seemed to be holding back on drinking. The longer she looked, the more she noticed that they seemed to be waiting.

It didn’t take long for her to figure out what for.

The door burst open. Arliss’s breath caught in her throat as she half-stood up.

The half-orc woman was tall and had to bend to get through the door. Her skin was a dark green and her tusks protruded from her bottom lip like deadly elephant ivory. Her dark brown hair was tied into a topknot on her head with a shaved undercut. She dressed in leather armor and a cloak and dark brown pants, a quiver of arrows on her back alongside a longbow. Her hands up to her elbows were bandaged.

There was an unidentifiable tattoo on her forearm and piercings in her pointed ears and on her eyebrows.

She looked absolutely terrifying. And perhaps, a bit too much like a bounty hunter.

Arliss reached for her magic, ready for a fight. Heated crystal burned against her chest. Whether she was here for Arliss or someone else, it didn’t matter. A fight would happen. And Arliss was not defenseless.

The tavern erupted into cheers. Several people stood and started to make their way to the entrance. Arliss blinked at the display, letting her magic fall away.

The half-orc stumbled forward a bit as someone said, “ _ Move _ , Morning, I’m fucking thirsty.”

The half-orc let out a, dare Arliss say it,  _ awkward _ chuckle and rubbed the back of her neck. She stepped out of the way, revealing a shorter, but still relatively tall human woman. “My bad, Tim,” the half-orc said in a deep voice that sounded almost kind.

Arliss watched, baffled, as six more people filed in after them. It was likely one of the strangest groups Arliss had ever seen. Four humans, a tiefling, a kobold (and oh Zazeyaran, they were farther from home than she was), and a curious bovine-like person of a race that Arliss didn’t recognize. They were all very animated despite the dirt and grime smeared across their skin and clothes. Packs were slung onto their backs and each had some variety of weapon. One of the human men had an unlit lantern dangling over his shoulder, a ball of glass caught in a net.

They were immediately greeted by just about everyone in the tavern, including the employees and Thomasi. All at once, the quiet din of the tavern became overrun by loud laughter and excitable conversation. The bard playing in the corner followed the tiefling around like a lost puppy. The tiefling, for their part, didn’t seem to mind, and Arliss noticed a lute strapped to their back as well.

Arliss just watched the tavern around her silently, eyes wide. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a bowl of stew and a wooden cup of water clattered down in front of her. The stew looked mediocre at best and the bread was stale, she could tell just by looking at it. It, at least, looked better than what she’d been given on the ship.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” the barmaid said with a grin. Her cheeks were even more flushed than before. “We’ve been waiting for them to get back for  _ weeks _ .”

Arliss just blinked up at her. She looked down at her stew, back at the barmaid. “May I inquire as to who they are?”

The barmaid tilted her head. Arliss jumped in her seat when she burst out into laughter. She tried to stifle her giggles. “Sorry, sorry,” she waved her hands in front of her. “I tried not to assume that you weren’t from around here, but here we are. Are you actually from Asasa?”

Arliss bit down on her lip. “Who are they?” she asked again.

“No questions, got it,” the barmaid winked. “They’re Summer Dawn. A pretty famous mercenary guild around these parts. They stopped a storm giant down the road. No one knows where the beast popped up from, but there he was. And there they were. Saved a lotta people and a lotta of buildings. Including this tavern. Thomasi adores them. And they’re quite the hoot.”

Arliss relaxed. "Just some local mercenaries then," she said. That was good. It meant that they were unlikely to be after her or even know about her.

"Oh no," the barmaid waved a hand. "They ain't local. They've been all over the Western Continent. You should hear some of the stories they have. Apparently, they just came back from the east, near Ratia. Real adventurous folks, they are."

The barmaid left Arliss to eat, rejoining the revelries.

Arliss was so absorbed in watching the group that she didn't realize someone sat down next to her until they tapped her on the shoulder. She bit back a small yelp, dropping her bread into her stew.

"Oh sorry!" a high pitched voice exclaimed.

Arliss blinked down at the small kobold woman beside her. She was a member of this  _ Summer Dawn _ then? Arliss hadn't met many kobolds in her lifetime. They tended to stay in their caves, never venturing too far. A few came and went in Inejazer, but they were few and far between. Arliss wondered why one would come this far, to the Western Continent. 

She was dressed in a coat, bundled up even more than Arliss had been. Her skin was a scaly grey blue, her eyes a soft doe brown with that koboldian edge. Two horns protruded from her head and her ears twitched towards different sounds.. She carried no weapons, though Arliss noticed that most of the group had begun shedding their packs and weapons. 

"Forgive me," the kobold said, her mouth opening into a smile. "It's just so rare to see Asasans put this way. I thought perhaps to say hello, Easterner to Easterner."

She seemed genuine enough. And there was something about the air around her that was warm, comforting even. It brought the aching reminder of Maia to her chest.

"Hello," Arliss said, offering a small smile. She tried to fish out the soggy bread with a spoon. "You're much farther from home than I am though."

The kobold gave a little shake of her head. "Oh no. My home is with them."

She stretched out a clawed finger towards the joyful Summer Dawn. 

The smaller human woman of the group appeared to be engaged in a chugging competition with the half-orc, the other human woman watching on in abject horror. The half-orc won easily but that didn't seem to dampen anyone's spirits. 

The bovine person was sipping at a steamy drink as they chatted with the tiefling and the tavern bard. Two two human men sat alone off to the side, heads bent together and smiling at each other warmly.

They did look, to Arliss at least, like a family. She could understand why the kobold might consider them home.

Arliss wished she was with her home too. Or at least with Maia, who would likely immediately go to join the eclectic group in their revelry.

She turned to stare into her cooling soup. The kobold made a small hum as she took a sip of her drink. "Copper for your troubles?" she asked and Arliss stiffened.

"Forgive me, I don't usually discuss my troubles with strangers," Arliss said icily, hoping that the kobold would leave her alone. She just wanted to finish her drink and go to sleep and move further away from Asasa.

"My name's Olpi," the kobold said.

Arliss glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. "Arliss," she said carefully.

Olpi's mouth opened into a wider smile. "There. Now we aren't strangers."

Scowling, Arliss turned to ask Olpi to leave her alone when a new voice and the sound of a chair scraping against stone joined the conversation. 

"Are you trying to get the poor girl to spill her life story, Olpi?"

"I'm merely trying to help."

"As always. You should listen to Olpi's advice. She's super wise."

Did no one leave people alone in these taverns? Arliss wished she was at least a little drunk. Maybe then she could deal with all of this..

Arliss looked at the newcomer and stopped. She stared at the smaller human. Originally, Arliss had thought that her hair had been a dark brown or black, but now she could clearly see that was only the lighting of the tavern. Her hair was actually a bright forest green, her eyes were an equally startling pale green. She had ten times as many freckles as Arliss on her tawny skin.

She wore what looked to be a green robe lined with dark brown fur. It was decorated with intricate embroidery. Seated on her shoulder was a small red squirrel, the tufts on its ears particularly large and its eyes much too intelligent to belong to a beast.

She appeared to be one of the only members of the group still wearing her weapon. However, where theirs had been bows and blades and staffs, hers was a long scepter. It was strapped to her back at an angle and likely longer than she was tall. How she managed to sit and move around with it was a wonder.

Crafted from a dark wood that appeared gray in some places, the staff wound like braided hair. Towards the top, it unbraided itself into a cage that exposed the green quartz-like rock atop it. In the dimness, the stone looked as though it pulsed, a fire trapped within its solid confines.

Something told Arliss that, despite her young features and soft expression, this was a powerful woman. A dangerous woman.

It struck Arliss all at once that these people, this Summer Dawn, had defeated a Storm Giant while managing to keep people safe and buildings intact. That was a feat that was difficult even for the soldiers in Asasa. Who were these adventurers? And how did this compete with the other groups of mercenaries in the Western Continent.

"Hiya," the woman leaned across the table, her smile wide. She held out her hand, which Arliss now saw was adorned with pale green tattoos. They weren’t symbols that Arliss recognized. "Name's Kenley."

Arliss reluctantly took Kenley’s hand. "I'm Arliss."

Kenley gave Arliss a look that sent her heartbeat racing, but it was gone as soon as it appeared.

"Ken!" the half-orc shouted from across the room, beckoning her over.

Kenley bounced to her feet completely and gave Arliss a small wave. "Nice to meet you," she said cheerfully, her words sounding very genuine. "Let's go, Olpi."

Olpi offered Arliss another one of her smiles. "Have a good evening, dear.”

Arliss watched as they left as easily as they had come. A pit formed in her stomach as she found herself alone once again.

**Author's Note:**

> Be sure to check out my tumblrs:  
> @felilla  
> @thesummerdawn


End file.
